Russia releases video game screenshot as 'proof' US is working with IS

Russia's defence ministry has been accused of using a screenshot from a mobile game called AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron.
Photo credit: CIT

Russia's defence ministry is under scrutiny after it released a photograph that appears to be a screenshot from a video game, to provide "irrefutable evidence" of cooperation between the United States and Islamic State (IS).

The ministry posted five photos on its official social media accounts, along with a statement that accused US troops of allowing IS militants to hide from Russian and Syrian air strikes.

"The US are actually covering the ISIS combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote the American interests in the Middle East," the statement said.

The photographs have been deleted after the fact-checking organisation Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) accused the ministry of using a video game screenshot and old conflict photographs.

CIT said one photo was taken from a mobile game called AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron, and others were screenshots of videos released by the Iraq Ministry of Defence in 2016.

A spokesperson for the Russian defence ministry told media it was "carrying out checks on a civilian employee who mistakenly added photographs to the ministry's statement".

A cached version of the original statement can still be viewed online.